Immunity and Inflammation

How are immunity and inflammation linked? Inflammation is your body's way of dealing with injury or invasion. Your immune system gathers information about what is circulating in your bloodstream, and produces various types of white blood cells to defend you. There are innate immune cells which surround and neutralize bacteria, and the adaptive immune cells, which create specific antibodies to viruses, recognizing and learning as they go. One of the reasons this Covid-19 virus is so scary, is that no one has ever been exposed to it before and so no one had immunity. Now thousands of people have been exposed to it, and we shall see if they have developed an immune response that will last over time.

People have had a varied response to the virus. People with underlying conditions such as diabetes, or heart disease have had a much harder time getting over this virus. Their bodies are already in a state of inflammation. Their immune systems are already under siege from stress. When a body is in a constant state of fight or flight, it puts off the work of cellular healing to another day, when the crisis has passed. But what if everyday is a state of crisis?

My advice is to create a sense of refuge for yourself. Lay down on a mat on the floor, support your head and your knees. Spend at least a few minutes everyday, deeply resting. Turn off the news, the computer. let your eyes rest, and imagine in your mind's eye, a favorite place of peace. Maybe some place you went as a kid in the summertime. Imagine feeling the sun warming your skin, your bones deeply relaxing. Feel your belly rise and fall with each breath. Give yourself permission to do nothing. So your body can take the time it needs to reset. Let your immune system do its best to protect you.

In Defense of Touch

In Defense of Touch

We all need touch, it is essential for human health. It is the first sense to develop in the womb and it is the last of the senses to leave us at the end of life. It is more important than food for a newborn, without it they suffer from failure to thrive. Being held in our mother’s arms, it’s how we feel secure in the world, and is essential to our survival as a social species. Neuroscience has found that oxytocin, the feel good caring hormone, is released when we are touched and that helps regulate the amygdala, the area of the brain that lights up when we are angry. 

Some of us have a license to touch others. Doctors, dentists, physical therapists, chiropractors, massage therapists. We are the professionals. We have the training and ability to provide a skilled touch. We can palpate the body, to feel what’s wrong. Touch can even help ta patient prepare for a future painful intervention, such as a dentist using a light touch or vibration on the cheek, before giving a shot. We can soothe pain. We can stimulate circulation of blood and lymph. We can coax a tense muscle to let go. We can encourage an unused muscle back to life. We can calm the nervous system, so a sick child can get some rest.

But everyone can benefit from touch, it’s how we communicate. When words fail us, there is a hug. Touch can be an encouragement of a job well done, a pat on the back. Touch can remind your body of its capacity to heal. It can quiet the voices of anxiety, and let peace develop from a deeper place, and deeper breathing to emerge. Touch allows us to shift gears from fight or flight into a state of rest and digest. To allow our bodies to do the work of healing.

This is such a confusing time for touch in this society. Women are tired of the experience of  unwanted touching, and men are scared and unsure of how to behave. This speaks to the unequal power dynamic of what men need and what women want. Touch parameters vary in different cultures, and even within different families. Some families are more comfortable hugging, and being in close physical contact. Also, personal space may be defined differently depending on the situation. Being on a crowded elevator, or in a social situation, the rules are different. And the work environment has its own stated or unstated rules.

The increased use of computers and screens has further transported us out of the physical realm and into cyber reality, but we are still physical beings who need to be touched. And to be touched with respect and skill. We need to be in charge of our own bodies and boundaries. Skilled touch can help us align our life force to flow freely from our core to our fingertips. We need to encourage healthy safe touch. Our health and happiness depends upon it.

Nourishment

What really nourishes us? I'm not talking about food, but a lovely meal certainly can be nourishing; I'm thinking about experiences or states of being that really nourish or refresh. So much of modern life is stimulating, flashy, and ultimately leaves us hungry, searching for more stimulation, for the next buzz.  I'm thinking about places like the beach, or deep in the woods, where we can connect deeply with our inner selves, and feel a deep connection, a true nourishment. Walking along a sparkling brook, stopping in the sunshine to soak up the moment, that is the kind of experience I look for on the weekend to refresh my spirit, so I can continue through the workweek. What do you find that is truly nourishing?

schmooze marketing

Schmooze Marketing

Writing a book is kind of like having a child. The gestation period takes as long as it takes, and when it is good and ready, it comes out. The editor is like the midwife or birth coach, helping the author produce healthy offspring. Friends and family, help too, offering encouragement. Maybe self publishing is akin to home birth, offering more control over the process, but with more risk. Traditional publishing might be more like a hospital birth; lucky for those who qualify, but they miss out on some thrills of complete ownership of the process. And there is no greater thrill than the first moment you hold the little darling in your hands, hard or soft cover.

But you have to let go and send your darling into the world. So maybe your first bookstore is like preschool. You get your book in there, marvel to see it on the shelf, and if you are lucky, some stranger buys it and takes it home with them. You check back often to see how it's doing, and then try to figure out ways to let more people know about its existence.

There are a lot of hats to wear as an independent author. First you have to find something to write about, something that will keep your interest for the years it takes to write a book. Then you have to find the time and the discipline to actually write it.  In 2002 I took a long car trip to Palm Springs, and I got the inspiration to write down everything I knew about health in one place. I wrote my book in 45 minute segments over six and a half years. That was as long as I had to myself before my daughter would usually demand my attention. I am a massage therapist and I had a client who had a friend who was an editor. The editor had back pain so we traded massage for editing. We would do an hour of editing and then an hour of massage. She told me about the San Francisco Writers Conference, and we both attended in 2006. It was there that I first found out about BAIPA, the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association. I was thrilled that there was a way for me to get my book out there, for as an unknown first time author, the odds of getting published seemed mighty slim.

I attended my first BAIPA meeting, and Vickie Weiland was very kind to me, and helped me get my SF business license and my tax resale certificate, so I could be a legitimate small publisher. I decided to go with CreateSpace, a division of Amazon, since they provided the ISBN and access to Amazon, and it seemed easy and user friendly. Aside  from difficulty in uploading the cover, it was pretty easy. And what a thrill it was holding that first proof copy in my hands! Of course I made some rookie mistakes like publishing  in November, so my copyright date was only current for two months. I threw a launch party at UCSF and invited all my colleagues from The Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. I catered it with Mediterranean food, fitting with my theme of healthy food.

In January of 2009, I went to the Yoga Journal Conference at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco and I met Neil, the owner of Bookshop West Portal who had a booth selling books at the conference. I asked him if he would carry my book at the conference and he said no, but I could bring the book by the bookstore and leave it there on consignment. My book was so short that  it didn't have a title on the spine, so I brought a small stand so they could display the book face out. They found a little niche for it in their health section, and the book started selling. A high point for me, was the time the manager called me to tell me they had sold out and needed more copies. I was in LA,  outside of the lobby of the Hollywood Hills Hotel, and another guest, smoking a cigarette overheard my conversation. He said, "I'm an author, too! You just sold out your book! I have to have your book!" I took out a copy and asked him his name and signed it for him, and then he said he didn't have any money. He ripped out a blank page from the back of the book and wrote down his address and said he would send me the money. I pondered what to do for a moment, and then I said to him, "I'll make you a deal - I'll give you the book, if you consider quitting smoking." He hesitated, and then agreed. I put the piece of paper in the pocket of my coat, and then I lost the coat on the way back to SF, so I'll never know if he kept his part of the bargain.

I was able to get my book into the gift shops of UCSF, and I think hospital gift shops are a good place to sell books about health. There is an association of hospital gift shops and someday I will contact them. I was able to get my book into a conference in Napa due to some connections at UCSF and the bookstore associated with that conference was that famous bookstore in Corte Madera, so they carried my book for while, but it didn't sell well there.

I came to the point where I realized that to do right by my book, I had to get some help, namely a professional design for the cover. It was at a BAIPA meeting that I saw some promotional materials from a fellow author,  even though his book wasn't finished yet. I really liked the design, and he put me in touch with his designer, and we worked together over the phone and email, and we still have not yet met in person. The other big change I made was to add a couple of chapters to the second edition, so the book would be big enough to have a title on the spine. And I went with Lightning Source as the printing company, instead of CreateSpace because of their distribution with Ingram. It was a much more complex process, as I had to get my own ISBN and I had to purchase new software to get the right kind of PDF that LSI requires. But it has made all the difference, to be able to walk into a bookstore and say to the book buyer you can order my book through Ingram. It also helps to make it returnable, and at full discount.

It was at a BAIPA meting that I heard about The Mechanics Institute LIbrary Book’tober Fest. Authors, independent publishers, independent bookstores, and beer! What could be better? I met the managers of Books,Inc and Green Apple Books. And they both agreed to order my book. At Books,Inc they displayed it on a table face out, and it sold! And then I was able to contact the other Books,Inc stores and say it was selling at Opera Plaza, and some of them also agreed to carry it. It sold out in Burlingame.

And now I’ve come full circle, back to the San Francisco Writers Conference, 2012 volunteering at the BAIPA table, with my independently published book in hand, and selling at bookstores. It all comes back to the personal connections that you make, to the people who help you on your journey, and being able to lend a hand to your fellow authors.

Marcia Degelman’s book, “Explaining Health: what you need to know to stay healthy” is available at Bookshop West Portal, Books,Inc, MT. Zion Gift Shop and Kaiser’s Health Education store, 4141 Geary St. in San Francisco. And through her website www.explaininghealth.com and through amazon.com http://preview.tinyurl.com/4ykbba2.

Essential sleep

If there is one universal constant marker for good health, it must be sleep. Everyone needs a good night sleep, and you know it's so when you don't get it. Especially being awakened by someone else's insomnia, jarred out of a deep sleep, and not being able to find your way back.
 A useful imagery I've found is to picture beautiful jelly fish, pulsing and spreading their gossamer tendrils, drifting slowly down into deeper, darker water. Fill your mind with the image, and shut off the chatter, and you can find your way back to the land of nod. Restful, nourishing sleep, helps repair everything.

Mid Life Mini Triathlon

Here's a recipe for a mini middle aged triathlon weekend. On Saturday take a one hour walk though the city, using streets you've never been on before. Marvel at the new streetscapes, the lovely houses, the new views. Ideally, during sunset, with a full moon rising. On Sunday take a 45 minute bike ride through the park, followed by a thirty minute swim. Add a ten minute hot tub. Helps if the weather is unseasonably warm, to appreciate the dry spell, before the rains (hopefully) begin.

Best Biscotti- Holiday Treat

These are the best biscotti, delicious!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Ingredients:
Wet Mix
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup evaporated cane juice (sugar) (Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup date sugar (optional)
2 eggs
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

Dry mix
1-1/2 cup white whole wheat flour (Trader Joe's)
1/3 cup rolled oats
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 shelled pistachios (or any nuts)

Mix the olive oil and the sugar. Add the eggs one by one. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Mix the dry ingredients together and add to the wet ingredients. Let stand for 10 minutes, letting the oats soak up moisture.

Spray oil (olive) on a cookie sheet. Form two logs with the dough. Bake 28 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes, then slice into 3/4" slices and place slices one side down on the cookie sheet.
 Lower heat to 325 degrees.
Bake 10 minutes. Remove and turn cookies to the other side and bake 10 more minutes. Let cool and store airtight. Great for dipping into tea! Enjoy!

Moderation in all things

A drink a day linked to healthy aging...

" "strong, consistent evidence" that people who drink in moderation are less likely than nondrinkers or heavy drinkers to experience health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and dementia, says Qi Sun, M.D., the lead author of the study and a nutrition researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health, in Boston."
Another strand of evidence for moderation! Drinking a little alcohol spread over the week, is consistent with less degenerative illnesses. Might it be the inflammation fighting effects of moderate alcohol consumption?  Or the stress- lessening effects of alcohol? Or is it a sign of moderation in other lifestyle choices?

Nuts and tofu found to lower cholesterol

There was an article in the news that said research had found that a diet with nuts and tofu had lowered cholesterol levels, even more than cutting back on saturated fats. It got me thinking that maybe what we eat is more important than what we avoid. Maybe those foods that have been shown to have a protective effect on heart heath, like olive oil and nuts, actually do us more good than eliminating saturated fats, which may not be that harmful. Cholesterol is an important building block in the body, it forms the basis of a lot of the hormones we need for proper functioning. We produce cholesterol naturally, but we also need to get some from our food.

Birth of a book

I've spent the last six weeks working on the second edition of my book, "Explaining Health." I've written two new chapters, one on Chinese Medicine and one on Ayurveda. I had those two chapters edited and incorporated changes. I read over the entire manuscript, looking for any overlooked typos. I considered my publishing options, and out of laziness thought I would go with Createspace again, the way I published last time. But it turned out to be too expensive. The cover price of my book would have to be over $20, approaching $25, and I felt that was just too much to ask people to spend, on what is a slim volume. Packed with useful information, but only 138 small pages. So I lost some sleep over it, and then I decided to look into Lightning Source. The price was less, and they have better distribution. Now my book can be $19.95, a price that was more comfortable to me. Lightning Source is way more complicated, with contracts that have to be printed and signed and returned by mail. I missed signing in one place so the whole thing had to be sent again. And then I uploaded my book in the wrong PDF format and had another sleepless night trying to figure out how to fix it. Turns out I had to save it, one page at a time and figure out what was wrong with each page, when it wouldn't save as PDF/X. Finally, I got the whole manuscript to save. Then I had to upload the cover again, and get my designer to redesign the cover to fit on the cover generator. That took two days and many cell phone conversations. Now we both know how to do it. Now I'm just waiting, fingers crossed that both files pass muster and I can start the printing process. Then the fun begins. I feel like I've been in labor for six weeks, and I've been pushing for the last two days, and my designer has been my midwife, helping me along. I can't wait to hold the little darling in my hands.

Interdepndence Day

We need to think about how much we need one another to thrive. We need a balance of work time and social time and solitude. Time to nurture our creativity. Time to just goof off and have fun. If you can take a walk with friends, then you are getting exercise and sociability together. If you can eat good food together, then you can support each others health in making good choices. Peer pressure can be used for good. Moderation can be the way to go. Drink more water, especially if you drink alcohol. We will all have more fun in the long run, if we don't abuse our bodies! The "pursuit of happiness" does not have to mean overindulgence. Sometimes less is more.

"It's Karma"

I was checking out of the Hollywood Hills Hotel, when my cell phone rang and it was Kevin from the Bookshop West Portal in San Francisco, saying he'd sold out of my book, Explaining Health: what you need to know to stay healthy. I was very excited and a fellow guest nearby, smoking a cigarette, overheard me and he said, "I have to get your book- I'm an author too and maybe it will help my book sell-it's karma!" I told him I had one copy with me and would sign it for him. He put out the cigarette, and asked me if I'd mind if he took the last blank page out of me book to write his email address on. I didn't mind, and when I told him the book was $20, he said."But I don't have any money!" I was really on the spot, having signed his name in the book, and the last page was torn out. I thought for a moment, and then I said, "I'll give you the book if you consider quitting smoking." He thought it over and then he agreed. I didn't even mention smoking in my book on health, I assumed everyone already knows it's bad for their health. I went one step further, and showed him how I quit smoking many years ago, by folding my arms and keeping them that way for five minutes, until the urge passes. I figured it was good karma.

Allergies

Allergies happen when your body reacts to foreign substances like pollen or animal dander. You can either choose to avoid exposure or change how your body reacts. It's easier to avoid being around animals than it is to avoid pollen, as it's in the air all around us.

One way that I've found that helps me be less reactive to pollen is through yogic breathing exercises, specifically "alternate nostril breathing" and "breath of fire." With alternate nostril breathing you close off one nostril, using your thumb and forefinger of one hand, exhale through the open nostril and then  inhale, and then switch sides, exhaling first then inhaling. Breathe gently and slowly, trying not to make a sound. Gradually increase the length of the exhale in relation to the inhale. Do it for 3-5 minutes to start, you should feel it become very relaxing. Breathe normally for a few breaths and try the "breath of fire" by inhaling through both nostrils and let the air out in short audible puffs through both nostrils, about 5 times and then exhale any remaining breath and repeat a few times. This is excellent for clearing your sinuses.

Resilience

Being healthy doesn't mean never getting sick. If you are healthy and you get sick, you are able to bounce back. You are able to mount an appropriate immune response to a virus or bacteria. You are able to listen to your body, and sleep when you are tired, drink water when you are thirsty, and eat foods which truly nourish.

Garlic and ginger are great allies in the fight against germs. Chicken soup does have healing properties. Fresh ginger (about an inch in size) sliced and simmered for twenty minutes in two cups of water, makes a wonderful steam for stuffed sinuses, and then you can add a teaspoon of honey and a spritz of lemon for a soothing tea. Fresh garlic can be minced and spread on toast and covered with honey for a medicinal snack. Hippocrates said,"Let your food be medicine and your medicine be food."

How old are your cells?

I took a couple of weeks off from this blog to get ready for a couple of presentations. The first one was "Explaining Health: Habits and Longevity," for UCSF Women's Health Today series, streamed live over the internet, and will be shown on UCTV.tv in a few weeks. I had hoped to stay present, while I was presenting, even though I was pretty excited. It helped that there weren't many people in the live audience. The potential audience in the weeks and months to come makes me hopeful that some of my information will motivate folks to take better care of themselves.

The other presentation was at The UCSF Integrative Medicine Forum, put on by the students. My lecture was "The Art of Massage Therapy: Pain relief at your fingertips," highlighting the history of massage therapy, showing some self massage points, and instructing the students on neck and shoulder massage on each other. I showed them some proper body mechanics, and commiserated with the dentistry students on how difficult it is for dentists to have good ergonomics.

I went to a lecture by Elissa Epel on Telomeres-Biological aging, lifestyle and well-being. She is doing some fascinating research on telomeres which are the protective ends of the chromosomes (like the little plastic end of your shoelace). The telomeres shorten when the cell divides, and when they get too short the cell dies. Telomere length determines biological age and her findings show that people who have a high degree of perceived stress have shorter telomeres. The good news is that vigorous exercise, omega-3, anti-oxidants and stress management have been shown to increase the length of telomeres, or to keep them the same length. All of the ingredients of a healthy lifestyle, now being proved in the lab.

Anti Rust

Like when you squeeze lemon juice over a cut apple to keep it from turning brown, that is an antioxidant. Fruits and vegetables contain many compounds, which are antioxidants. These molecules bind with "free radicals," which are extra oxygen molecules floating around your blood stream. These free radicals are thought to damage cells, damage their DNA, accelerate aging, are responsible for brown age spots and wrinkles. Populations that eat more fresh fruits and vegetables generally have lower rates of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. So eat your fruits and veggies!

Sedentary+Stress vs Movement+Mindfullness

The cells of your body are constantly responding to your inner environment. Mitochondria are firing up in your muscle cells in response to movement. Your digestive tract is interacting with the foods you eat. Your nervous system is responding to the threats you perceive. Your endocrine system is reacting to the way you feel.
Neurotransmitters, the molecules of emotion, like serotonin are found in the brain, but also in the gut. How you feel affects your physiology. You can affect your physiology by changing how you feel through movement, different food choices, and how you think about things. Constant worry wears down your immune system. You can set aside a time to worry and then stop it. You can pay attention to the content of your thoughts and change them. Instead of worrying, you can picture yourself lying on a on a beautiful warm white sands beach, listening to the sounds of the gentle surf, slowing your breathing, relaxing. Your body will appreciate the change of scenery.

Finding Balance

Imagine yourself poised in a kayak, ready to dip your double tipped oars in the water. If you push too hard on one side, you'll veer off to one side, and you may even capsize. If you pull too hard on the other side, you may head right back to shore. The trick is to dip each oar in lightly, evenly, to stay on an even course. Steering a healthy course in life can be like that, seeking balance, without going overboard. Sometimes we have to indulge, and then use the other oar to get us back on track. We don't want to run aground too soon, we want to enjoy the journey.

The "Hygiene Hypothesis"

I'm taking a mini-med school course at UCSF on the Immune System. The "hygiene hypothesis" is a new way of thinking about allergies and asthma. We are essentially an ecosystem for bacteria, we have more "bacterial" cells, than "human" cells. The right kinds of bacteria can help regulate the immune system. Allergies and asthma are examples of the immune system overreacting to harmless substances like pet dander or pollen.We need to be exposed to a wide range of pathogens as young children to "educate" our immune system. Studies show that children living on farms, close to animals, have a lower rate of allergies and asthma, than children living in inner city environments. Short of living on a farm, growing up with pets, especially dogs (that sleep on your bed!) can lessen the chance of developing allergies or asthma. Another strategy for ingesting beneficial bacteria, is eating yogurt with live cultures or fermented foods like sauerkraut. We want a balanced immune system, one that can fight off dangerous viruses and bacteria, but not so overactive that it produces autoimmune conditions like eczema or allergies.

And broccoli is good for you, too

Broccoli is a cruciferous vegetable, part of the same family as cabbage, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. It has cancer fighting compounds like sulforaphane and indole-3-carbinol. Broccoli is also  beneficial for the immune system, with anti-viral and anti-bacterial activity. It's effective against the bacteria that causes stomach ulcers. And it's been shown to help prevent heart disease.

Broccoli is easy to prepare, just steam it for 4-5 minutes. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon, and some ripe avocado for a special treat. Or saute it in some olive oil and garlic. Add a splash of water for the last minute of cooking to steam it slightly. Broccoli sprouts are also good for you.

Populations that eat the most fresh fruits and vegetables have the lowest rates of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.